A Friend that Cares
by Nianti
Summary: Story that tries to resolve the location of the other FF characters. Read and Review, please, and sorry if it's categorized wrong; T for violence


Disclaimer: I don't own KH/FF.

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'Hm... I wonder where Sora's gone to this time...' Riku thought, shifting into a more comfortable position. His friend was almost always into something, be it training with him or annoying Leon and Cloud, and he often disappeared for a few weeks at a time.

A loud buzzing startled Riku from his thoughts. He looked over at the cell that Tifa had sent him for Christmas, and picked it up.

"Hello?" he mumbled, still sleepy from the sun.

"Hey, Riku! It's Sora!"

"Sora? Where are you?"

"I'm at Hollow Bastion, but I'm getting ready to come back."

"To stay this time?"

"Don't know. It all depends on-" The line suddenly cut off short. Riku took the phone away from his ear and looked at it's screen. The screen said that he and Sora were still connected...

"...but then why did Sora suddenly cut off like that?" Riku wondered aloud. He heard a voice again, and put the cell back to his ear.

"Hello? Is this either Riku or Kairi?" a female voice said.

"So what if it is? What did you do to Sora?" Riku half-yelled, earning a stare from Waka.

"Hey, hey. Easy, tiger. Don't worry; we haven't hurt your friend... much." a round of laughter from many voices followed that statement.

"Look, I'll make this simple. Turn yourself and the girl in, and we let your friend live. Refuse, and he's as dead as a . You have three days. Come to the final room in The Castle that Never Was. You may not tell anyone to meet you here, and you may not bring anyone with you. If you trick us in any way, we kill your friend. Understand?" Another peal of laughter, followed by Sora's muffled yelp, sounded in the ear piece. Riku's heart began to pound.

"... Fine." He said, defeat sounding in his voice. The woman on the other end gave a 'humph' of satisfaction, and hung up. Riku closed his phone, and went to find Kairi.

Riku and Kairi looked up at the castle. They felt evil again emanating from this accursed place, and neither of them wanted to enter.

"You're sure that this is it?" Kairi asked, tentatively.

"Yeah... they said that they had Sora here. I just hope that he's all right." Riku replied, eyes darting from one shadow to the next. He jumped when he heard footsteps behind him.

"So, any clue as to Sora's location in there?" Leon asked, as he and Cloud walked out of the shadows.

"What are you doing here?" Kairi squeaked, "If you come with us, Sora'll be killed!"

"Don't worry. We know how to stay out of sight." Cloud murmured, his words barely audible.

"He means that we can pull this off if you act like we're not here. Just keep moving." Leon added.

Riku shrugged and moved on, deeper into the World that Never Was. Kairi followed, keeping her eyes on the Castle and trying to ignore the two people she knew hid in the shadows, though she could not see them.

When they reached the final room of the castle, Riku and Kairi saw the members of Organization XIII scattered about; some were collapsed on the floor, while others dangled from the walls or ceiling, held up only by the hoods of their cloaks. Riku was surprised to see that three still stood, and were fighting hard. Axel, Roxas, and Demyx were each attacking or being attacked by groups of about three or four people in cloaks, and Axel seemed to have some sort of four-legged fire-creature charging him.

"Nanaki?" Cloud whispered, low enough that only Riku heard him.

"It's about time you got here!" Axel said, fending off "Nanaki's" attack.

"Yeah! We thought you wouldn't show!" Demyx added, sending one of his foes flying with a water clone.

"Sora is through Saix's door. Take him and get out of here!" Roxas yelled, pointing out the door through which the duo had come.

"Right!" Riku and Kairi said, nodding. They ran out the door, and through the portal. Riku saw their friend first, and grabbed him. Together, they then ran down the hall, until...

"Going somewhere?" The woman who had originally forced the deal upon Riku dropped from nowhere, and a dog (Riku supposed that it was hers) came galloping from the the way they had come.

"Now, unless you hand over your friend and honor our bargain, I will ha-AIEE!" she screamed when a blast hit her on her right shoulder.

"Nobody but NOBODY, messes with my friends." Leon said firmly, as he appeared out of one of the other portals. Cloud was the next to appear, stepping out of a nearby shadow. Leon prepared to fire once more as the woman stood again, but froze when her hood fell back. Her face had a pale ivory-esque tone, which her shoulder-length black hair complimented nicely. She was the only person, in all of the worlds, that Leon would hesitate at shooting if she turned against him.

"Rinoa?" he whispered, a thousand questions burning his heart, and a time spell stopping Cloud in his tracks. Rinoa turned, and, recognizing her attacker, waited. She seemed to be watching how Leon handled this situation, almost as if she expected him to turn and fight against those he had been protecting.

"Rinoa, why are you doing this?" Leon asked. He looked as if he were trying to convince himself that this foe now standing before him was just an illusion.

Again, silence. Then without any warning, the woman's dog threw himself at Leon, only to be turned aside by some unseen force. Riku had seen Cloud muttering something, so he assumed that it had been an Aero spell.

"Angelo! Bad dog!" the woman screeched. She then returned her focus to Leon.

"Now, be reasonable, Squall. Those brats are the only way to restoring Balamb Gard-..." She began...

...Only to be silenced as Leon, his face as grim as death, aimed his gunblade directly at her heart.

"I told you, nobody messes with my friends... even if they were once my allies." he stated quietly. Rinoa's face openly showed her shock. She had been expecting the Squall she had left to come back to her like an obedient puppy.

"B-b-but Squall... I thought we were... Squall-" she blubbered, looking for an excuse, any excuse to get out of her present situation.

"Squall Leonheart committed suicide, taking your life as well his own in order to pay for betraying all of those he had called 'friends'. I am Leon, the one who awoke in his place. I REFUSE to betray my friends." he stated through firmly gritted teeth, fingers resting lightly on the trigger and heart bracing to have the last living memory of its "former owner" stripped away. Rinoa's face went from shock to pain an instant later, and she collapsed, her singular scream mingling with what sounded to be many others. Leon lowered his gunblade, confusion and fear fighting to control him.

"But... I didn't even... pull the trigger." he whispered, confusion winning the mental battle.

"Y-you d-didn't have to..." another voice, one all had feared they would not hear again, cut through the silence. Riku had deposited Sora's limp form in a nearby alcove, and Kairi was now helping him to sit up.

"S-she was tricked... into doing this. Th-they all were...-" Sora cut off in a fit of coughing, blood trickling out of his mouth and splattering on the ground in front of him. Once he had some control of his breathing again, he continued.

"They were all... all tricked into this by some-one... I don't kn-know..." He choked again, and his words were accompanied by more coughing and blood. Leon looked absolutely shocked that these people that he had once known would fall for such a trick.

"Why...?" He murmured, looking back at Rinoa. She was shaking and twitching, like she had just stuck her finger in an electrical socket.

"Because they would do anything to get their home back, unlike you, Squall Leonheart." A creepy, familiar voice echoed, as Axel and the ones that he had been fighting flew backwards from the room that they had been fighting in, falling limply in the "Proof of Existence" room. Roxas and Demyx and their opponents quickly followed. Riku shivered as that voice awakened unpleasant memories and anger that he had thought was completely gone. He noticed a shiver running down Kairi's spine as well, and confirmed that it was their old enemy, Xemnas. Xemnas had originally been the leader of Organization 13, and had been the last to fall prey to their Keyblades.

"But the others came back, so why not him?" Riku said aloud.

"Hm? Who?" Cloud murmured, looking at him.

"Xemnas. You know, 'Ansem's' Nobody? The guy who's heartless took over my mind?" Riku replied, grimacing at the thought. Cloud nodded, recalling what had supposedly happened to the youth before him:

About three years ago, Riku and Sora's island home had been overrun with Heartless, and Kairi had lost her heart. Sora and Riku had each gone a different route to try and find her, Sora following a path of light and locking the Keyholes of every world as he went, and Riku following the path of darkness and nearly destroying himself. About a year later, Sora, who had defeated "Ansem" within Hollow Bastion, embarked on a new quest to find Riku, who had entered the World of Darkness with King Mickey. This new adventure had taken a toll upon them both, as well as Kairi, who had left Destiny Island in order to find them. Xemnas had taken a great effort to defeat, and the trio had been glad to be rid of him.

However, he hadn't remained gone, so it seemed.

"Guys... do...n't worry... about... me... Ta...ke care... of th...that... de..mon." Sora coughed, causing everyone to jump. Axel slowly got up, trying to regain his breath and shaking from the pain he felt throughout his whole being.

"We...we'll keep... an... eye on him." he gasped, straightening. The motion obviously hurt, because he dropped back onto one knee with a groan. Leon looked at him and the others, doubt visible in his eyes.

"We can handle this area... I think." Roxas added, standing somewhat more easily. He looked uncertainly at the people collapsed around him, then went to check on Demyx, who was still out cold. Some of the other nobodies were beginning to stir from their unconsciousness, as demonstrated by Saix rising from the place where he had fallen.

"Xemnas is be-...behind this, correct? Well, I'd be careful if I were going to take him on; he's gotten more powerful, if this is anything to go by." Saix growled, limping over to the small group. Riku nodded, then turned to see Leon crouching by Rinoa.

"I'm going with you. Someone has to pay for this... this evil," the mercenary said, standing again.

"Xemnas is strong, Leon. Are you sure that that's what you want?" Kairi said, also getting to her feet. Leon nodded.

"Besides, someone has to show you kids how to fight a true menace." he tried to grin. Riku snorted.

Three others from the former Organization joined them, as well as one of the cloaked attackers, whom Leon dubbed "Zell."

"Look, dude. I-... I'm really sorry this happened at all. We -well, Rinoa actually- thought that if Balamb Garden was restored, that you'd be found. We never realized that you might've escaped too." the martial artist said, his face full of guilt and sorrow. Leon looked at his old friend, then patted him on the shoulder, saying:

"Come on, Zell. Once this is over, I'll see if I can find you a few hot dogs back in Hollow Bastion."

Zell looked at his old friend with a look that crossed humor, disbelief, and gratefulness; he then nodded, and started up the steps.

"Come on, guys; we have a psycho to beat!" Zell called back. Leon sighed with what sounded like remorse, and followed his exuberant old friend. Riku smirked and followed the two, with Saix, Roxas, and the other conscious Nobodies on his heels. None of them realized how difficult the battle ahead of them would be.

Saix howled as one of his former superior's spells hit him. The group had been fighting for about an hour now, with Zell having to fight not only to survive, but also to retain control of his actions. Leon had taken a good deal of punishment as well, but seeing as he, Riku, and Saix were the 'tanks' of the battle, that was not surprising to him in the least. He sent another blast at the Nobody before him, and had to dodge as it rebounded. Roxas went flying from Xemnas's sword attack, but he turned and sent a Fireball spell at their foe just before he flew over the edge of the tower. The next moment, he had slipped through a black portal back onto the battleground. A roar of "Dance Water Dance" drew their attention to a group of newcomers, which included several of the cloaked figures. Demyx, now fully conscious and healed, was sending a group of water clones at Xemnas. Larxene, also back at full capacity, sent a bolt of lightning through the water clones nearest to the dark Nobody. Even Sora was back on his feet, and he fought alongside friends as if he were facing the heartless hoard, and not the man who caused it. It seemed that the battle was a little bit less one-sided, but Xemnas was not one to be beaten so easily. He vanished for a moment, then reappeared behind Leon, sending the mercenary flying over the wall of the castle, out into empty space. A scream echoed in Leon's mind, along with the certainty that he was as good as dead now. Suddenly, he saw a single, white feather floating before his eyes, and felt gravity shift, so that he was no longer flying towards the ground, but rather he was floating in mid-air. He tried to look around, but could see only sky. A single, tiny whisper sounded in his ear, someone was calling his name, not the name he had given himself, but the name that had haunted him since he lost his world. _Squall_. Then, he blinked. He was no longer floating, and the sky had been replaced with the dull gray sheet of clouds, and a woman was carefully healing the throbbing injuries he had obtained.

"Rinoa?" Leon whispered, feeling something hot and wet trickling down his cheek and over his ear. Rinoa looked at him with tear-filled eyes, sorrow and relief mixing within them.

"At least you're awake... I... I thought-" she cut off, looking away. The gravity of what had happened hit Leon like a ton of bricks. He had fallen from the tallest tower in the castle, and had somehow survived. It was all too similar to the time when he had tried to atone for his actions... and had died. He tried to sit up, but felt a shock of pain course throughout his body.

"Don't try to move, Sq... I mean, Leon. I think that something got cracked or broken, and you might make it worse if you get up." Rinoa said, gently pressing him back to the ground.

"W..what happened at the castle?" he rasped, trying to look around and only seeing varied shadows of people circling the fires.

"They defeated Xemnas, but the world collapsed. We're back in Balamb." Rinoa said, tracing his gaze. Leon would have given her a "sure, what really happened then?" look, but darkness began clouding his vision again as sleep pulled at his mind.

"Leon, we have things under control, I think. You need to rest and get your strength back." Rinoa said, seeing him struggle against the exhaustion. Leon did as she said quite willingly.

When what felt like the next morning arrived, Leon woke up feeling no pain whatsoever. Apparently, Rinoa had found a very potent cure spell, and had loosed it upon his injuries. He decided to test his body, and sat up. Nothing. He slowly go to his feet, remaining in a crouch. A twinge, but nothing more. He stood up straight. That was when his body started protesting. He suppressed a howl of pain, and fell back to his knees. The agony subsided.

"Hm... this day could be interesting." he mumbled, looking around. About half of the group was still asleep, but Rinoa was up and watching him.

"I was wondering how far you would test your strength. You should be able to walk, but because you were asleep for a while, your body is going to be pretty stiff." she smirked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Leon grimaced, and stood again. Pain blazed through his system, but it was a bit more manageable this time. He stretched, baring his teeth to the sky as the agony blazed through his system, and his spine and bones clicked back into alignment. The pain decreased immediately, causing Leon to smile through the tears of pain. He rolled his shoulders and walked over to Rinoa, who was also smiling.

"See? I told you that you were just stiff. Now, don't you feel better?" She laughed, rousing several of the others.

"I missed you too." was Leon's whispered response, as he took her into his arms. She hugged him back, and began to sob.

"L...Leon I-I'm so sorry... first I caused us both to lose everything, and then I-" Leon cut her apology off with a kiss, and gave her a "don't-you-EVEN-start" look. He sighed.

"Rinoa, I don't care about the past anymore. You and I both have done enough atoning for our mistakes." he said, meeting her eyes. She ducked, blushing, and smiled.

"Good to know that I have a friend that cares." she said, and Leon, too, blushed.


End file.
